Thursday, May 31, 2012

Welcome to the Feature & Follow

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers — but you have to know — the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

If you are new to the #FF fun, Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them “hi” in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Now to make this #FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger. If you are interested in becoming a Feature click on the drop down link above FEATURES &amp;gt; Feature &amp;amp; Follow Friday and get on the waiting list! How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to WordPress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don’t have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.It is also required, that if you participate you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) and the two Feature blogs.

You are a matchmaker...Your goal: Hook up two characters from 2 of your favorite books. Who would it be? How do you think it would go?

Oh a really thinker of a question! I guess I'd have to find two of the characters who aren't already involved with their soulmates. I'd go with a back character from Laura Kaye's Forever Freed, Magena. She is described as "Exquisite-dark skinned with waist length iron-straight black hair and high pronounced cheekbones that set of her sparkling silver eyes."

I am leaning towards pairing her with another Laura Kaye character, Brady Scott, Alyssa's big brother from Her Forbidden Hero. He is described by Alyssa as "He was tanned, his light brown hair had blond highlights from the sun, and he looked like he'd lost weight. It made him appear even taller."

I think they could get acquainted and get along. The only thing is with Magena being a Vampire, I'm not sure how Brady would handle being tied to becoming a night owl to be with her, but I think for her we would give it a shot. *winks*

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by Under the Covers. Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and our readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. We hope that you will all join us!
To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Welcome to the Feature & Follow

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers — but you have to know — the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

If you are new to the #FF fun, Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them “hi” in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Now to make this #FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger. If you are interested in becoming a Feature click on the drop down link above FEATURES &amp;gt; Feature &amp;amp; Follow Friday and get on the waiting list! How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to WordPress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don’t have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.It is also required, that if you participate you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) and the two Feature blogs.

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by Under the Covers. Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and our readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. We hope that you will all join us!
To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

Answer the question proposed! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.

Then add your link below.

Non-bloggers: We want to hear from you as well!!! Let us know your answer in the comments!
We hope you join us and let us know your Dirty Little Secrets!

"What's the sexiest item of clothing a hero can wear in a novel?"

OH my!I have to agree with most who have said a bare and chiseled chest with low-hung jeans. What those do for any woman. *fans self* Sometihng about a guy taunting you with what lies below his pant line is always welcome.

Notice its the same guy on both covers...but damn how he leaves much to be discovered!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Welcome everyone! I'm thrilled to have a very talented (snarky) author here today.I have Lisa Kessler here to talk about Night Walker, and what is next in her Night Series. Without further Ado I give you Lisa Kessler!

Hello Lisa! I’m thrilled to finally have you here! I’ve wanted to take over your world, and now I finally get a chance! *poit, zort, narf!* LMAO

Please share a little about yourself, your works and what got you into writing.

Great to be on your blog today!!! And I’m crazy about Pinky and the Brain, so thanks for helping me Take Over the World…. Muahahaha!!!! *ahem* Actually I’m a wife and mother of two amazing kids. When I’m not writing I also sing professionally so I’m always on the go.

I started out writing for fun, but after a meeting with a palm reader in New Orleans, she changed my life in an instant when she smiled at me and told me I was going to be a famous writer someday! Seriously true story…  Six months later I had the first draft of Night Walker finished.

I think lots of people have been drawn in by the cover with Calisto on it *drools*. Can you share a little about him for those who haven’t read about this hunky Latino.

Calisto is very Spanish and also immortal, so we can add sexy and dangerous to his resume. When I wrote the book, I pictured a young Antonio Banderas from the Mask of Zorro days, and with his devotion to his love, and his sexy accent, I was a goner! LOL I hope readers have felt the same way.

He’s a very tortured soul. Fortunately he gets his redemption with Kate. Kate is a very strong woman who has been through her own torture. What made you choose that form of torture for her?

Calisto was definitely a tortured soul, and when I wrote Kate, I felt like she was haunted. Her recurring nightmares of another time, and her emotional distance from others forced her to be strong, but I think it also attracted her to Calisto. On some level she sensed he had answers, and for the first time in her life, she found someone she could confide in.

I was really surprised by her just getting up and leaving to go back home to settle things with her parent’s estate, and especially the treasured piano. Why did she ultimately not keep it?

In my first draft of Night Walker, I had more about her backstory with her mother. Of course much of it got cut, but she never felt like she measured up to her mother’s expectations, so when her mother left her piano to the Foundation Arts charity instead of to her only daughter, Kate no longer wanted it. She felt like the piano was her mother’s final dismissal of Kate’s career choice.

It was so devious to see the way Jose got into Kate and Calisto’s lives and was toying with them until near the end! I was totally shocked by many of the things he did. . He’s just plain evil and knifing! How was it getting into his head?

I started out writing horror, and writing villains is often my favorite part of a book! LOL As a reader, I hate when a villain gets weak at the end, or makes stupid choices. I like a villain who pushes the hero until it looks like the hero actually might not win.

So writing Jose was really fun for me, other than one scene toward the end of the book when he takes a life for the first time. (I’m sure you know the one I’m talking about… No spoilers! ) Writing that scene creeped me out and I had to watch TV for a couple hours before I could sleep! LOL

As Kate got to Know Calisto they got to know about their present lives and re-learn about each other. Was there something they each learned that they didn’t expect?
Calisto definitely didn’t expect to love Kate even more in this lifetime. When they’d fallen in love in the 1700’s she was a young Kumeyaay maiden and much more naïve. I think they both were. So when he met Kate this time, she had a career and a passion for music that rivaled his own. He definitely loved her even more this time around…

I think when Kate’s fractured memories finally came together it was a huge relief to her. Unbelievable that Calisto was still alive, but I think on some level she always feared she might be insane! LOL

Kate ends up being able to recall her past life as Tala and her gruesome end. Was it hard for her to come to grips with knowing her past-life and how it was coming back to haunt her?

You know I think she was so busy being in disbelief that Calisto was still alive, that she didn’t get a lot of time to digest that her past-life was repeating itself. Poor Calisto could see her destiny repeating though and he was willing to do anything to save her.

We got a brief introduction to the character who was responsible for Calisto’s change, and we see him again in the end of Night Walker. Do we see more of him in the next book?

Yes, in Night Demon, Book 2, the Old One is back and the grand scheme of his plans is completely laid out… He has big changes in store for the mortal world with a little help from an ancient Mayan demon. Can’t wait to share the book with you!

You’ve mentioned about our upcoming Hero and Heroine, Kane and Rita. Can you tell us anything about each?

Night Thief is a prequel to Night Walker and it will be available in September. It takes place in 1840 in Paris.

Kane is one of the 4 original Night Walker brothers. (Insider tip: The Old One from Night Walker is also one of the 4 original brothers.) When the Toltecs attacked the already weakened Maya civilization, the four Night Walker brothers scattered to the corners of the earth in order to keep the Mayan world from dying out completely. Kane ends up in France.

The story opens during Napoleon’s national funeral, when Rita (Marguerite) steals Kane’s gold pocket watch. Kane and Rita have amazing chemistry and readers will also get treated to a Night Walker vs. European vampire battle…. So fun!!!

Lastly the fun questions:

Plotter or pantser?
Panster

Early Bird or Night Creature?
Definite Night Owl!

Are you more Kate or Betty?
Kate

White, Milk or Dark chocolate?
Milk

Coffee Tea or other?
Iced Tea

Music or quiet while working?
Music is a must

Favorite place to sit and write?
My corner of the office

Computer or good old pen and paper?
Computer

Pick your poison (alcoholic drink of choice when going out if you drink)
I’m the cheapest drunk ever so I don’t drink much… But when I do I love Kahlua & Creams! Mmmmmm!

Thanks for letting me take over your world today Lisa! I’m looking forward to the rest of the Night Series!

THE NIGHT SERIES - Book One by Lisa Kessler

Title: Night Walker
Author: Lisa Kessler
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Summary:
He gave up his soul for a second chance to love her…

Two and a half centuries ago, Calisto Terana lost everything when a zealous priest murdered the woman he loved. Now, desperate for another chance to love her, he wants redemption for the mistake that cost her life.

She’s haunted by dreams of her own death…

After catching her fiance with another woman, Kate Bradley returns to San Diego to clear her head. The last thing she needs is romance, but after meeting Calisto she’s drawn to him in ways she doesn’t understand.

They’ve waited in the shadows for centuries…

Calisto has no doubt Kate is the reincarnation of his lost love, but the Fraternidad Del Fuego Santo has a new watcher with dark ambitions of his own. As old enemies reemerge and a new threat arises, the betrayal that enslaved Calisto to the night might destroy the only woman he’s ever loved again.

About the Author

Lisa Kessler is an avid reader and writer of dark fiction. Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.
Lisa recently signed a 4 book deal with Entangled Publishing to release her Night Series. The first book, Night Walker, is scheduled to be released August 5th.

When she's not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, performing with the San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego. You can learn more at Lisa's Website

Lisa lives in southern California with her incredibly fun husband and two amazing kids.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Welcome to the Feature & Follow

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers — but you have to know — the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

If you are new to the #FF fun, Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them “hi” in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Now to make this #FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger. If you are interested in becoming a Feature click on the drop down link above FEATURES &amp;gt; Feature &amp;amp; Follow Friday and get on the waiting list! How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to WordPress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don’t have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.It is also required, that if you participate you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) and the two Feature blogs.

Summer Break is upon us! What would be the perfect vacation spot for you to catch up on your reading & relax?

You know, I really don't need a vacation spot outside of my own home to sit and catch up and read. I have my perfect spot already set up and waiting every night. I have a pair of chairs and a nice table with a lamp for light. I just curl up and rest against the side of the back and put my legs over the opposite arm and I can sit and read for hours and get lost in books!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by Under the Covers. Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and our readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. We hope that you will all join us!
To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

Answer the question proposed! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.

Then add your link below.

Non-bloggers: We want to hear from you as well!!! Let us know your answer in the comments!
We hope you join us and let us know your Dirty Little Secrets!

"If you could read one book again for the first time,
which one would you pick and why?"

OH my! My initial gut is saying that I want to read Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon ALL over again. It was the last book in the Dark HUnter Series at the time and thanks to Steph @ Fangs, Wands and Fairy Dust I won a hardcover copy. I devoured the book in a weekend and could hardly put it down. I fell in love with the story and the characters and now I plan to go back to the beginning and read it from book one, Night Pleasures. *le sigh* Oh how those hunters have MAD skills in bed and out!

Adriana couldn’t decide what was worse—that Hurricane Katrina was heading for New Orleans, or that she might not survive her kidnapping to see its potential effects. She had trusted Hayden, even fallen for him, and now he and his brother Luke were taking her deeper and deeper into the Bayou.

Why had two of her classmates, the mysterious Boudreaux brothers, kidnapped her?

Why had Adriana’s dreams started predicting the future?

Most importantly, would she make it out of the Bayou alive…

About Jenna-Lynne

Jenna-Lynne Duncan graduated from the University of St. Thomas with degrees in Political Science, International Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies. Hurricane is her debut novel and she is planning a series.
She welcomes those to contact her through her website.

Welcome to the hop!

Hello all you sirens! I have a fun giveaway as part of the hop this year. I'm giving away two SCORCHING hot reads which definitely make any gal hot!

Up for grabs are an eBook of either Daughter of Lust by Ann Mayburn or Just Gotta Say by Laura Kaye. Both are available through Amazon US and Amazon UK. One lucky winner will get their first choice and the next gets the other book not chosen by the main winner.

Natalia Shura, the daughter of Asmodeus, High Prince of Hell and Keeper of the Deadly Sin Lust, is unaware of the nature of her birth. When her demonic side begins to awaken, her world becomes dominated by dark passions and deadly cravings. Natalia fears she is losing her mind. But her love has been foretold as the only thing that can stop Belal and his allies, and they will do anything to prevent her ascension.

Facing assassins, avenging angels, Hell's deadly politics—and her real father—Natalia must accept the love of more than one man and embrace her demonic heritage as a Princess of Lust. If she doesn't, all that she cares about will be

Callie Davis stumbles upon two of her three male roommates in a surprising, molten-hot midnight tryst and discovers a side of herself she never knew existed. Desire to play with them grips her, and she can’t stop fantasizing about having multiple men, particularly her three long-time best friends.

Callie is thrilled when a guys’ night out gives her the perfect opportunity to recreate her fantasy, with the help of a threesome porn video and a bag of sex toys. That is, until Lucas, Jack and Noah return early and catch her in the act. More than anything, the guys want to make her fantasy come true. But Callie has a secret, and she can’t help wondering if being with all three men will risk the future she’s always wanted with one of them.

As three strong sets of hands caress and undress her, Callie surrenders to desire, because sometimes you just gotta say...yes.

You can get up to 5 points toward your entry by filling out the rafflecopter form below. Don't forget to drop by the other blog hosts and enter their giveaways too! Tons of prizes to be shared!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

"I tried not to sound hysterical, but it’s not every day you find out the paranormal is hunting you."

What if everything you believed was a lie?

A Suicide

Seventeen year old Allison Maney attends Millennium High School in Manhattan. Nothing out of the ordinary, unless you consider the occasional suicides at the school. At least that is what everyone is told, what everyone believes. But Tommy Bachelor was a popular football player; why would he jump off the roof of the school?

Dangerous Liaisons

When Dameon pays attention to Ali, she couldn't be more excited, because for the past three months he was all she could think about. But now that Dameon is finally pining for her affections, she is becoming more and more wrapped up in a clique of three who, as new transfers to the school, are proving to be trouble. But at least Dameon loves her, doesn't he?

Kian- a dangerous love interest she did not ask for.

Powers- belonging to an underworld she never knew existed.

A Clique- that could be friends or foes?

A Soul Purpose

The underworld of angels and demons have one thing on their mind: Earth.

Excerpt

I fidgeted with my galoshes until I finally curled one leg under the other. “Tommy died for a reason. Doesn’t that reason bother you?” A gust of wind blew past and tousled my hair.

“How would we ever know the reasons? We can’t read his mind,” Molly retorted as she fixed her favorite avocado-colored scarf, which draped on her neck, a scarf that accented the green in her irises.

Sniffling, Jennifer desperately wanted to join the conversation, but couldn’t speak without shaking and bawling. She tended to her wool mittens instead. Red-eyed and disheveled, she reminded me of an old rag doll. Dressed in heavy beige coats, knit hats and boots, the three of us stayed relatively warm in the 30 degree weather. We were well acclimated, since we were all born and raised in New City.

“There has to be something we can find. He was popular for heaven’s sake, ” I insisted as Molly stared at me incredulously. “Girls loved him. Teachers adored him. Doesn’t make any sense.” I shook my head.

“Why? His best friends don’t even know why. Why does anyone do it?” Molly plopped her hand down on the picnic table, the hand holding the fanning paint brush. Dabbing her ocean blue canvas with specs of white, she created a snowy effect. “Maybe he just couldn’t take the pressure of being popular anymore.” When she rolled her eyes, I knew what Molly was thinking. She didn’t like the so-called jocks. Suicide or not, she didn’t want to give them any more of her time. But I didn’t want to let it go, couldn’t let it go. Something about it nagged me.

“Because...people just don’t go killing themselves for no good reason.”

“If you care so much, maybe you should write something up for the school paper.” Molly tilted her head to me and I lit up like a neon light. “You know...like one of those in-memory pieces.”

Brilliant! I hadn’t even thought of it, but I did have journalism fifth period. I could satiate my persistent curiosity and complete an assignment all in one. Every writer needed a muse and Tommy would be mine. A muse from the grave.

“We could work on it together...like Bonnie and Clyde.” I grinned as a snowflake dropped from the pines above and lit my long lashes.

Tightening the hug-grip around her chest, Jennifer sniffed one last time before raising her gaze.

“Wait, wait, wait...first of all Clyde was a guy,” Molly interjected, “and I’m not going to be the guy in this scenario.

More like Rizzoli and Isles. And second, I am n-o-t going to be a part of this.”

“Why not? Could be intriguing. Today is Wednesday and we don’t have to be back at school until Monday. What else are we going to do?” I rationalized.

“I’ll do it.” Jennifer interrupted, the sound of her voice almost foreign at this point in the conversation. We both jerked our heads in her direction. Wiping her nose with the back of her coat sleeve she held a sneeze and repeated more firmly. “I’ll do it.” Her big brown eyes widened as her lips tensed.

“You will? why?” Molly cocked a brow and spun her body around on the bench to face Jennifer better. Her fingers inched across the table and found Jennifer’s mittened hands. “You don’t have to do this just because...” she didn’t want to say it aloud, but Molly had a way about her. Truth, whether crass or not, always popped out of her uncontrolled mouth. “...you liked him.”

Blushing, Jennifer tilted back and the freckles on her cheeks almost faded away. “I am going to do this because Ali is right. Tommy was not the sort to commit suicide. He had everything going for him. With his death this makes...” she paused in thought counting on her fingers, recollecting the names listed in the morning paper, “five deaths from Millennium High in seven years!”

“Don’t forget Emily.” I reminded them, and they each gave me wrinkled foreheads of confusion. “The girl who was found dead in Central Park. She went to the school too...and just because she didn’t die on school grounds doesn’t make her death any less odd.”

“Something is going on at this school and I’ll be damned if I’m just going to sit and do nothing.” Jennifer got her mojo back, a newfound task of investigation motivating her out of her misery.

“Well damn, if you two are going to go at this then...” Molly raked her fingers through her shoulder length cut and sighed, “then I might as well do it too.”

Jennifer and I both turned at the same time and grinned.

“What else am I going to do until Monday without the two of you?” Molly reasoned.

“It’s settled then. We are officially the unofficial team investigating this suicide,” I added as another gust of wind brushed through the park, rushing over Molly and Jennifer.

About the Author

Ami Blackwelder is a romance suspense writer in the paranormal, scifi and historical genres. Growing up in Florida, she graduated UCF and in 1997 received her BA in English and additional teaching credentials. Then she packed her bags and travelled overseas to teach in Thailand, Nepal, Tibet, China and Korea. Thailand is considered her second home now. She has always loved writing and wrote poems and short stores since childhood; however, her novels began when she was in Thailand.

Having won the Best Fiction Award from the University of Central Florida (Yes, The Blair Witch Project University), her short fiction From Joy We Come, Unto Joy We Return was published in the on campus literary magazine: Cypress Dome and remains to this day in University libraries around the USA. Later, she achieved the semi-finals in a Laurel Hemingway contest and published a few poems in the Thailand’s Expat magazine, and an article in the Thailand’s People newspaper. Additionally, she has published poetry in the Korea’s AIM magazine, the American Poetic Monthly magazine and Twisted Dreams Magazine.

Welcome to the Feature & Follow

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers — but you have to know — the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

If you are new to the #FF fun, Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them “hi” in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Now to make this #FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger. If you are interested in becoming a Feature click on the drop down link above FEATURES &amp;gt; Feature &amp;amp; Follow Friday and get on the waiting list! How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to WordPress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don’t have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.It is also required, that if you participate you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) and the two Feature blogs.

This Sunday in the U.S. is Mother's Day. In celebration, what are some of your favorite books with strong mother/child relationships?

That's an hard one! *Pouts*The only one I can think of off the top of my head is Laura Kaye's - Forever Freed. The main heroine is a single mother who is hard working and will do anything to protect her Dauther, Olivia or Ollie in the book.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by Under the Covers. Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and our readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. We hope that you will all join us!
To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

Answer the question proposed! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.

Then add your link below.

Non-bloggers: We want to hear from you as well!!! Let us know your answer in the comments!
We hope you join us and let us know your Dirty Little Secrets!

"We've heard a rumor that Ryan Seacrest is using Fifty Shades of Grey as a manual in the bedroom.
What book would you give a guy to study up on?"

Oh Geez! I don't trust ANYTHING I hear from that goofball! Much less using a series suck as Fifty Shades as a sex guide! *shudders in disgust*

As for me anything with s sex scene is something I catalog for later reference for some different fun. I haven't read to much BDSM however, so the only thing I can think of is Ann Mayburn's Daughter of Lust, which is the first in a series.

Notes From the author...

"Dark Lullaby is about a young astrophysicist who is lured into the Turkish countryside by a mysterious young woman, of course, she ends up being something totally unexpected. In the end, he has to face his own demons in order to save his twin sister’s unborn child.

I’ve always been very interested in moral dilemmas and in the concept of a higher good. For instance, is it okay for a man to steal in order to have money to save his little girl, who is dying? In the case of Dark Lullaby, I went a step further: is it okay for a man to kill for the higher good? More than horror, it is a bizarre, suspenseful tale. It is based on Turkish lore. I lived in Turkey for five years and the culture, the people, the stories I heard there had a big influence on my writing."

*****

Why I decided to use Turkey as my setting...
"The first part of Dark Lullaby takes place in Baltimore, but it was inevitable for the setting to move to Turkey. This has to do with the nature of the anti-heroine which I will not reveal here, of course. J I also wanted to add a primitive, exotic flavor to the story, and what could be more primitive and exotic than a small village in the Black Sea coast, a place surrounded by woods and influenced by strange lore? I don’t think there are many scary stories out there connected to Turkish lore, so I thought: hey, this is something different, something readers may find unusual and original. So for this novel, I felt the setting was very important for the plot."

*****

What appeals to me about the supernatural...

"I detest gore. What appeals to me are the unknown, the unexplainable, and a good story with good characterization and a lot of dark atmosphere. Paranormal is probably my favorite of all genres, but I hesitate to say I like horror because horror has turned to trash these days. I like the classic, traditional ‘horror’ ala Edgar Allan Poe, very different from the average horror being written these days. I can think of a novel I read a couple of years ago, a ghost story with stunning writing: The Ghost Writer, by John Hartwood. I guess what I like falls more under paranormal or supernatural suspense, but the lines are so thin between genres and subgenres these days, sometimes it’s hard to categorize a book."

Excerpt

Who’s that woman? ” Gabriel demanded.
“I don’t know.”
“Don‘t tell me you don’t know. I saw the way she looked at you the way you looked at her.”
“She’s just an old woman, a silly superstitious old woman.”
Gabriel was sure Kamilah lied. He grasped her by the shoulders and turned her to him. “Why was she afraid of you? ”
Kamilah laughed, her cheeks flushed. “Listen to what you’re saying. Why would she be afraid of me? ”
“I don’t know. But it’s a fact that she gasped when she saw you, that she was afraid.”
She shrugged. “She must have mistaken me for somebody else.”
“But why did you look at her like that? I saw your face.”
She scowled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Obviously you misread my face.” She wrestled away from his grip. “I want to go home.”
“Home? ”
“Yes, home. To the forest. To the cottage.” She stomped her foot and kept going, leaving him behind.
Craning his neck, Gabriel looked back toward the scarf stand but the old woman was gone. “Damn! ” he muttered.
He trotted after Kamilah.
Kamilah started running, her shrill, childish laugh defying him. Never stopping, she ran all the way to the mountain trail. With the heavy backpack and his sore leg muscles, Gabriel had a hard time keeping up with her. People turned to stare at them. Desperate to catch up with Kamilah, Gabriel crashed into a man as he crossed the street.
Gabriel muttered a curse. He felt like strangling Kamilah. Her erratic behavior was wearing thin.
“Wait! ” he shouted when he saw her going up the trail.
She glanced back over her shoulder and flashed him a feral grin, her flushed cheeks contrasting with her brilliant eyes. “You cannot catch me, you cannot catch me! ” She sang loudly in monotone, between gasps. “You cannot catch me, you cannot catch me! ”
Gabriel ran after her, and the dull pain on the right side of his ribcage came back. He halted, panting. He leaned forward, his hands on his slightly bent knees, and his eyes shut to concentrate on the ache.
Massaging the painful area, he made an effort to regain his breath. When he looked towards the trail, Kamilah had vanished into the woods.
The hell with her. If she thought he would run after her and play her little hunting games, she was mistaken. He would very calmly find his own way back to the cottage. He reached into his backpack for the bottle of water and took a big gulp. After resting for several minutes, the pain lessened and he felt better. In the deep chambers of his brain an alarm went off for the first time the pain in his torso began to seriously worry him. He didn’t think it had anything to do with indigestion or any exotic virus or bacteria. Words like tumor and cancer flashed through his mind, but he tried to shove them away. He couldn’t think about this now. Once back in Baltimore, he would go to a doctor and have a complete examination.
He had been hiking for about an hour when a sound came from deep within the woods.
Gabriel stopped, his head turning to the source.
The sound was familiar the distant shrill murmur of children playing.
As suddenly as the sound had appeared, it vanished.
Goose bumps rose on his arms. Had he imagined it? He massaged the sides of his head while drops of sweat trickled down his back. The burning sun and the humidity didn’t help clear his mind.
After taking a few deep breaths, he continued his way up the trail.
About a quarter of an hour later he heard the sound again. This time it appeared closer.
Gabriel stopped and peered into the woods. He closed his eyes and concentrated on identifying the sound. Yes the shrill murmur of small children playing. Ridiculous, but true.
Gabriel decided to investigate.
Once under the canopy of the trees, moist coolness and shadows enveloped him. He welcomed the feeling and continued deeper into the woods, the ground soft and mushy under his boots.
After a few minutes, it struck him the sound wasn’t getting closer or farther. Even though it was distant, it seemed to be all around him.
Tilting back his head, he stared at the dense canopy of trees. Soft beams of light filtered down. He turned around slowly, light-headed and somewhat dizzy. For an instant he felt himself floating as the distant murmur of children caressed his mind.
“Kamilah! ” he shouted. “Kamilah! ”
He stopped turning and stood immobile, listening to his own heavy breathing and his thudding heart.
“Kamilah, I know you’re here somewhere! Stop playing games! ”
He scanned the surroundings. Something about the tree trunks caught his eye. Their surface wasn’t smooth as normal tree trunks. Lines marred the surface, natural lines, which appeared to come from within the bark itself.
The lines, as if carved by a human hand, appeared to be forming something.
Realization dawned on Gabriel. He gasped and stumbled back, almost falling on the ground. Terrified, he forced himself to look closer. Every tree trunk portrayed a different baby’s face, each one crying, its mouth wide open in anguished misery.
The shrill murmur of children grew louder than ever.
Gabriel understood it then, heard the message clearly. This wasn’t the murmur of children playing. This was the sorrowful crying of infants.
He ran back toward the trail as fast as his legs would allow him.

Dark Lullaby
By Mayra Calvani

At a trendy Turkish tavern one Friday night, astrophysicist Gabriel Diaz meets a mysterious young woman. Captivated by her beauty as well as her views on good and evil, he spends the next several days with her. Soon, however, he begins to notice a strangeness in her–her skin’s abnormally high temperature, her obsession with milk products, her child-like and bizarre behavior as she seems to take pleasure in toying with his conscience.

The young woman, Kamilah, invites him to Rize, Turkey, where she claims her family owns a cottage in the woods. In spite of his heavy workload and the disturbing visions and nightmares about his sister’s baby that is due to be born soon, Gabriel agrees to go with her.

But nothing, not even the stunning splendor of the Black Sea, can disguise the horror of her nature. In a place where death dwells and illusion and reality seem as one, Gabriel must now come to terms with his own demons in order to save his sister’s unborn child, and ultimately, his own soul...

What Readers are Saying about Dark Lullaby

“Dark Lullaby is an atmospheric paranormal horror that grips you from page one and refuses to let go until you’ve raced, breathless, to the end.” –ePinions

“Dark Lullaby is a page-turner. A horror story from the top shelf! You’ll love it.” –5 stars from Euro-Reviews

“This is a terrific horror…” –Harriet Klausner

“Dark Lullaby will capture you with its rich descriptions, its exotic location, and the need to uncover the dark secrets hidden within its pages.” –Cheryl Malandrinos, The Book Connection

About the Author

Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults and has authored over a dozen books, some of which have won awards. Her stories, reviews, interviews and articles have appeared on numerous publications such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal, Multicultural Review, and Bloomsbury Review, among many others. A reviewer for over a decade, she now offers online reviewing workshops. When she’s not writing, reading, editing or reviewing, she enjoys walking her dog, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Her website or join her mailing list and receive the first two lessons of her book reviewing workshop, as well as her free ebook, Reviewers Talk About Their Craft.